The Role of Scales in Comprehension

The word comprehension denotes to me understanding.  I can recall writing many a book summary in high school – demonstrating my comprehension of a text in terms of identifying main characters, explaining the correct sequence of events, recognizing conflict and resolving this conflict in a conclusion.  While this kind of summarization of a text is one of the first steps in comprehension, I would argue that it falls short of having a full command of the text.  I think in order to do that you have to be able to analyze the text.  The use of scales as explained by Kylene Beers is one such way to get secondary students thinking about not only retelling the text but analyzing it as well.

Scales seem to me a perfect tool to be used by students once they grasp the basic summary of the text, and “need assistance organizing their thoughts” (Beers 139).  Therefore, I could see this strategy employed after students have already practiced retellings – and are ready to write an essay on the story.  I say this because the scales strategy seems to assume that the students already have an understanding of the main characters and how they function in the plot.  For example, in Figure 8.1 Kylene Beers provides a sample scale with the following statement, “You can do some bad things and still be a good person.  Consider Byron as you answer this” (140).  A student must be able to recall who Byron is and what his role was in the story.  Therefore, a scale advances a student’s knowledge from understanding Byron to analyzing Byron. 

However, I would argue that there is one key part missing from Beers’ scales worksheet.  Beers’ herself writes “not only must students respond by marking to what extent they agree or disagree, they must also explain their choice by citing evidence from the text, from personal experience, or from outside knowledge” (143).  By providing another line after each scales statement with a directive such as “Explain why you agree or disagree by giving an example from the text,” students would learn to go back to the text for clues or evidence as they make claims or inferences. 

This scales worksheet could then become an outline for an essay.  The thesis statement might assert:  “Actions don’t always speak louder than words.  The character Byron may do some bad things – but it doesn’t make him a bad person.”   The student would then have examples from the text that they previously recorded on their scales sheets.  In this process the scales strategy would do more than summarize a text – it would aid in analyzing it as well – and deepen a student’s comprehension of the text in the process.  

Works Cited

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do:  A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print.